


What Makes a Good Person?

by dysphoriccanada



Series: the long con [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Okay so its the first story but from Manami’s pov, She Is Best Girl, i love her so much you guys, manami oikawa is best sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25538995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dysphoriccanada/pseuds/dysphoriccanada
Summary: Oikawa Manami knows she is a good person- at the very least, she does everything she can to put good into the world. She’s a good sister, and a good athlete. The problem Manami faces is that sometimes it’s really hard to be both at the same time. She’s a second year in high school and already knows that as much as she wants to go national, her mother only expects her to be a good older sister.Perhaps meeting Tanaka Saeko will give her the relief she needs from the stress in her life.
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru & Oikawa Tooru's Mother, Oikawa Tooru & Oikawa Tooru's Sister, Tanaka Saeko & Oikawa Tooru’s Sister, Tanaka Saeko & Original Female Character(s), Tanaka Saeko & Tsukishima Akiteru
Series: the long con [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839340
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	What Makes a Good Person?

**Author's Note:**

> Manami is Tooru’s older sister and a second year at Seijoh making her a year older than Saeko and four years older than Tooru (who at this point is a first year at Kitaiichi).
> 
> Edited: 8/01/20 i forgot that udai is a year younger than sae and aki and had to delete all mentions of him i am a Dumbass how dare yall not catch me on that sooner

Oikawa Manami likes to believe she is a good person, or at the very least, she is a person who strives to be genuinely good. She isn’t too prideful to refuse to admit her faults; she’s actually usually the first to point them out, and then usually the first to immediately either apologize for them or to try and rectify them. But Manami is also a big sister, and once in a while she has to really think about what comes first: 

Being a good sister, or being a good person.

It’s not that the two statements cant co-exist. It’s not that at all! Manami loves being the best big sister she can be for Tooru, it’s her favourite thing in the world; it’s just that sometimes she really feels more like his mother, and since they actually have a mother who is more than able to be there for him, once in a blue moon Manami wonders if she’s really okay with that. 

More than anything, Oikawa Manami wants to just play volleyball. The feeling of the leather being shot from her finger tips to the palms of her spikers, that satisfying whoosh of air when she spirals the ball in a service ace that no one could possibly receive, that distinctive smell first thing in the morning when she steps onto the court—it’s almost the best feeling in the world. Scratch that, it is the greatest feeling in the world. One she wishes she could stay in forever. 

But, in the case of Oikawa Manami, it’s just not realistic. It’s a dream she’ll never see through, no matter how much she wants it. 

And in those moments, that’s when she cant decide between being a good person, or a good sister. That’s when she’s reminded that while the two statements are allowed to co-exist, sometimes, one has to take a break from the other. 

Moments like today. 

—

Manami watches as her little brother and his friend play her game - that’s her game - in their back yard. Tooru, naturally, plays setter for Iwaizumi. It’s obvious, he’s only ever seen Manami play, and since she’s his role model - role model, not mother, she is not his mother - he wants to play like her. 

“Nee-chan!” Tooru calls to her. “Nee-chan, come show Iwa-chan your serve!” 

Manami sighs, but smiles and gets up from where shes relaxing on the porch. 

“Yeah alright. Watch carefully Iwa-chan, I’ll only do it once,” she teases. The younger boy nods dutifully. 

“Yes Nami-nee,” he says. Tooru beside him is almost vibrating in excitement as his sister takes the ball.

It comes as easy to her as breathing, the movements. The leather barely brushes her nose and forehead as the takes a small breath in, then slowly, almost against time, she takes her first step forward—

And as time stands still she moves quicker than the boys can take in, throwing the ball up and jumping to hit it; her body snaps into an arc and slams it down with the power she can possess, all the while her eyes are wide open, unblinking. 

It’s quiet for a moment before two twin cheers pull Manami out of her stupor. Iwaizumi and Tooru are cheering loudly, excited and amazed by her killer serve. It’s a reaction she’s grown accustomed to, and one she adores. 

“Cool huh?” Manami boasts teasingly. “No one can serve like me, and if they ever can it’s only because I’m off my game.” 

“Such ego, eh nee-chan?” Tooru teases his sister. Manami sticks out her tongue, but smiles. 

“That was amazing Nami-nee,” Iwaizumi breaths, his eyes sparkling up at the older girl. Manami beams and ruffles his hair. 

“Aw Iwa-chan! Thanks buddy!” She says to him. As she goes to sit back down and the boys collect the ball from where it bounced into the bushes, she almost misses her brothers comment. Almost. 

“One day, I’m gonna do that serve.” 

And Manami’s world very nearly comes crashing down on her. She feels the way the words curdle her stomach, while in the same moment flutters with pride in her heart. 

‘Its realistic.’ She says to herself. ‘You probably won’t play the world stage, but he could. Of course he’d use your serve.’

Still. That tiny part of her, that itty bitty part of her that just craves her own selfish dream, wishes she wouldn’t have to live in that world. 

Oikawa Manami loves being a big sister. She just wishes she didn’t have to give up her dream for the sake of it. 

—

She stays after school to practice more. It’s useless, she knows. No use in ruining her body with exhaustion for a game she won’t play outside of high school. Yet there she is during a school break, in the girls gym, sending serve after serve to an empty court. Manami’s not even captain, probably won’t be; but she’s a very trustworthy person, so she still gets to have a key and be allowed to lock up on her own accord. 

After possibly her hundredth serve—she lost count fifteen minutes ago—Manami lays down on the floor to breath, and lets her eyes slip close for just a moment. Then, with all the strength a second year can muster, she pulls herself together to clean up what’s still left and then walk herself home. She’s supposed to make sure Tooru is fed and put to bed tonight. Just like every other night this week. 

She’s taking a drink of her water and shoulder her bag as she comes up to to the school gates when she’s met with the sight of a grunge-y looking teenager hitting her head against the fence. 

“Fuck—ow, why did I do that!” The girl hisses, and Manami almost laughed if it wasn’t for the shock of having seen it. 

“Uhh, you okay?” She says instead. The girl turns and yep—just as Manami expected—total punk. Her skinny jeans have obviously seen better days, with more rips and frays than actually fabric, and her crop top only counts as ‘coverage’ given the shockingly patched and buttoned bomber jacket she wears over it. Her hair is choppy on all sides, and the back is obviously gelled to look even spikier than the front. However, as shocking as she looks to Manami, the embarrassment her face wears dissuades from whatever she could have been scared by. 

“...you totally just saw that didn’t you?” The girl asks. Manami can’t do anything other than nod. “Damn. That’s a drag.”

“Any good reason why I saw it happen though?” Manami questions, concerned. “Gotta assume it’s a good one, not just everybody walks to our school to give them self a concussion.”

“Yeah, actually,” the girl replies, almost tiredly. “My friend is a fucking asshole. Invited me here to watch his volleyball team play a practice game against yours, and then didn’t bother to wait and show me where the gym is.”

Manami knows she should be getting home to Tooru, he’s probably bored out of his mind, but this is one of those moments; good person, or good sister?

Smiling, Manami already knows her answer. “I can take you! I’m on the girls team, follow me.”

“Fuck, thank you,” the girl says in relief, and Manami feels her heart swell with having made the right decision. “I’m Tanaka Saeko by the way, nice to meet you.”

“Oikawa Manami!” She introduces herself happily. “Good thing I found you, most everyone is gone by now but I stayed late to practice a little more. Can never play too perfectly you know?” ‘Well... unless there’s no good reason to.’ She bitterly thinks to herself. 

“I don’t actually. I’m really not that much into volleyball, kinda boring to be honest,” Saeko says, shocking Manami further. Why would she come watch a volleyball game then? “But it’s really important to my friend so I figure I should at least try and support him.” Manami thinks about all the times she’s watched E.T with her Tooru and nods in understanding. 

“That’s really sweet of you actually,” she says. “You must really admire your friend to put aside your differences like that.” The other girl shrugs, and Manami almost laughs. 

“He comes to my band rehearsals even though he hates my genre, so it’s pretty much give and take.” Ah yes. As if she couldn’t get anymore punk-y.

Manami giggles. “Fair enough.”

They walk for a bit more before coming to the boys gym. Thought Manami would never be able to find it in herself to be nervous or wary in the building, it’s obvious to her that her companion is. In a moment of solidarity, she brushes her fingers against Saeko’s arm.

“C’mon, I’ll take you to where your classmates probably are.” Manami offers. The blondes face floods with relief.

“Thanks,” shes says, and bows her head gently. Manami pulls the door open softly, and leads Saeko up to the balcony where observers for opposing teams are supposed to sit. Another blond, this time a boy in a Karasuno team uniform, spots them and gasps. 

“Sae-chan! Shit I’m sorry I totally forgot to come grab you.” Ah yes, the friend. 

“Chill out Aki,” Saeko calms him. “Oikawa-san here was kind enough to show me the way,” the boy, Aki she called him, bows and thanks Manami.

“Don’t mind, don’t mind!” She jokes, waving him off. “Seriously, it’s not like I was doing anything important, I was just walking home anyway,” More lies. “I’d be more worried about Punky-chan’s concussion, honestly.”

“Concussion?!” “‘Punky-chan’?” Manami laughs again and starts to walk away. 

“I’m off now, have a good game! Bye Punky-chan!”

When she gets back to where her mini-adventure started, Manami finally thinks to pull out her phone, and dial their house number. 

“Nee-chan?” Tooru picks up. “Where are you, I’m so bored.” He whines. Manami rolls her eyes and is relieved to know he hasn’t managed to kill himself yet. 

“Sorry buddy, got caught up at school, I’m on my way now. Can you decide what you want for dinner? I’ll be home soon.”

Being a good sister and a good person don’t always happen at the same time. Manami knows this. 

She just wishes she could have the option to stop needing to choose.

**Author's Note:**

> I talk about Manami a bunch on my twitter @/dyscanart
> 
> —
> 
> did anyone else notice the blink and miss similarities I did between our favourite brother sister duo 👀👀


End file.
